Dear Editor,
When Australians pause for a minute’s silence on Remembrance Day, it’s all about respect.
Respect for the fallen. Respect for their families. Respect for the men and women who continue to serve today in wars, conflicts, peace-keeping and humanitarian missions.
It’s also about acknowledging the freedoms we enjoy today have come at an enormous personal cost to others, and we must never take that service and sacrifice for granted.
While Remembrance Day marks the moment the guns fell silent on the Western Front to end World War 1, it’s become an opportunity to pause our busy lives and think about everyone who has served in uniform.
As we come together at cenotaphs and memorials around the country to pay our respects for the 102,000 Australians who have died protecting our freedoms, we should be thankful for our good fortune to live in a comparably peaceful and stable nation.
As a former Veterans’ Minister, I have been very fortunate to visit ADF personnel on many deployments, and witnessed their commitment to service, and the sacrifices they are making for us today to maintain that peace.
Pausing for a minute’s silence on November 11 is the least we can do as a nation, to say a simple ‘thank you for your service’.
Darren Chester
Member for Gippsland